A couple of “firsts” greeted Hillbrook School students when they arrived at the campus on Sept. 2, fresh from summer vacation.

At 8 a.m. sharp there was be a ribbon-cutting ceremony planned to officially open the private school’s new commons building. It houses the school’s library, plus three art rooms, a multipurpose room, a kitchen and a cafeteria.

Construction began in July 2008. By just before school started, it was ready to go.

“My sense is it will really become the focal point for guest speakers and meetings,” head of school Mark Silver said.

Silver is the other “first,” who greeted the 315 junior kindergarten through eighth-grade students. Silver was appointed head of school on July 1 and has been working since then to become acquainted with the school’s inner workings.

“My role in the short term is really trying to understand where the school is today and build on the energy here and take it to the next chapter,” Silver said. “I feel really confident. It’s a really good school with lots of happy families.” Silver and his wife and three children moved here from San Diego, where he was middle school principal at Francis Parker School, a K-12 private school.

Silver has a master’s degree in history from Stanford University and previously worked at the Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough.

Silver says, “I feel really lucky” to be in Los Gatos. “It’s an amazing area to live in.”

Silver plans to reach out to the Los Gatos community so that Hillbrook is perceived as “a positive member of the broader community.”

He is also planning to reach out to alumnae as Hillbrook prepares for its 75th anniversary.

Hillbrook sits on 14 wooded acres off Shannon Road in a serene setting that evokes a bygone era. However, in the past 11 years Hillbrook has transformed itself into a 21st-century school. Nine buildings have either been remodeled or rebuilt.

“They rebuilt the infrastructure but maintained the feeling of an outdoor classroom experience,” Silver said.

The opening of the commons building completes the capital improvement program.

The new two-story building is 6,500 square feet and cost approximately $2.9 million. The ground floor houses the art rooms, cafeteria and kitchen. It is the first time Hillbrook has had on-site food preparation capabilities. It has hired Epicurean of Los Altos to prepare student lunches and snacks.

The multipurpose room and library are on the second floor. There are built-in benches at various spots around the room, a computer section, skylights, antique-looking lanterns and a rocking chair for story time.

As the opening day of school approached, workers were also putting finishing touches on the historic water tower that has been restored. It was built when the school opened in 1935 and is used today for woodshop classes.

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